Coffee Tree

You’ve heard the old saying “Money doesn’t grow on trees”, but for farmers whose livelihoods depend on coffee, it’s not quite true. Because coffee does grow on trees and many farmers in the tropics harvest this cash crop to support themselves and their communities.

A cultivated coffee tree (also known as coffee plant) grows to about 10-12 feet, though left wild it can grow up to 32 feet high. Coffee trees come in many varieties, but the two main types are Arabica and Robusta. It takes about 4-5 years before a seedling coffee tree starts producing coffee cherries, but once it does, it will produce for decades under the right conditions.

As part of our responsible farming initiatives, NESCAFÉ distributes coffee plantlets to farmers in coffee growing communities all over the world. We test many varieties of plants to find the best ones for the specific environment in which they will be growing. This helps farmers lower costs and improve profits.